Gymnasium and outing shoe



GYMNASIUM AND OUTING SHOE Filed Aug. 17, 1955 Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shoes and more particularly to the construction and manufacture of rubber soled shoes designed for gymnasium and outdoor sport Wear.

In the manufacture of rubber soled shoes of the type known as tennis shoes or sneakers it has been customary to follow a procedure much like that of making leather soled shoes; that is, to form the upper over a last, turning the lower marginal portion of the upper inward, attach a welt to the inturned portion and then attach the sole to the welt. Another usual procedure is to build up the sole on the inturned edges of the upper out of strips of rubber and frictioned canvas with an outer strip extending around the perimeter of the sole and overlapping both sole and upper and then vulcanize the rubber to secure the parts permanently together.

By the present invention the sole is molded with an upstanding marginal ange around its entire perimeter and the upper is then applied with its lower margin inside of this ange and sewed thereto by horizontal stitches, the whole work of assembly being thus greatly simplified, the cost of manufacture being correspondingly reduced, the outward appearance being enhanced, and a more durable structure being obtained.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved and simplified method of making rubber soled shoes; to provide an improved form of rubber soled shoe having a new and novel assembly of the sole and upper; to provide an improved form of shoe sole of unitary structure which is capable of better withstanding the severe service strains imposed on this type of shoe in use and which presents a neater appearance in the nished shoe than is usual in shoes of this class. l

A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved sole and shoe, the heel and back portion thereof being shown partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on a larger scale, the section being taken on lthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the construction shown in the' drawing the shoe comprises a preformed sole I, made of rubber or other suitable plastic material and having an integrally formed upstanding endless marginal welt or iiange 2. A lining of frictioned canvas or like material 3 extends over the entire inner surface of the sole and its upstanding flange. This lining together with any other reinforcement that may be desired is assembled with the rubber and vulcanized in the mold that gives it its finished form.

The upper Il, preferably of canvas, leather or other suitable material, may be of any usual form with the exception that the lower marginal edge portion 5 extends downwardly only to the base of the flange 2, instead of being turned inwardly along the top of the sole.

The sole and the upper are constructed independently of each other and when brought together for assembly the lower edge 5 of the upper is placed within the flanges 2 and the two are secured together in any appropriate manner such as by stitching as at 6 or by cementing or by both.

An insole 'l is shown in Fig. 2, in accordance with usual practice, but in the herein described construction such insole may be omitted if desred, since the fabric lining of the sole itself presents a smoother surface than is obtained by prior methods of shoe construction.

The sole may be molded with a iillet 8 of any desired curvature at the inside juncture of the sole and its upstanding flange and the outside edge of the sole may be formed with a marginal bead 9 of any desirable form to withstand scufng and to otherwise give Strength and attractive appearance to the shoe.

In the form shown the marginal edges Ii] of the sole l are depressed below the bottom Il of the middle or body portion so as to increase the capacity of the sole to adhere to a smooth oor or deck by a suction effect.

In the specific construction shown, the upper 4 is made with a lining I2 and the welt flange 2 of the sole is inserted between the layers of the upper and is sewn or cemented in place. The sole has a facing rib or flange forming a marginal rabbet or groove I3 in its upper marginal ledge at the base of the welt flange to receive and hide the lower edge of the upper. This structure is particularly advantageous for shoes in which the upper is of leather, the lining is of canvas or leather, and the sole of rubber or other plastic compound. The flange 2 is completely hidden by the upper in this form and the upper may accordingly be varied to suit the styles of a large variety of uses.

Although but one specic embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will beunderstood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe comprising a, sole formed of plastic composition, having an integral upstanding marginal ange and having fabric reinforcement extending from the body of said sole into said flange, and a two ply upper having the margins thereof secured respectively to the inner and outer faces of said ange, said sole having a marginal ledge provided in its top with a marginal pocket receiving and covering the lower edge of the outer ply of said upper.

2. A shoe sole comprising a body having an upstanding marginal Welt flange with a depressed external rabbet at its base and shaped to receive and cover the marginal edge of an upper.

JOHN T. RIDDELL. 

